Mexicans control very little of the business of their own country except that of agriculture. The mining is nearly all in the hands of English and American companies, with a few mines in the hands of other foreigners, notably the French. The street railways and electric power and light companies are also in the hands of Canadians, Englishmen, and Americans, except one belonging to a Chinese company. What is called in the States the drygoods (clothing, &c.) business is almost entirely in the hands of Frenchmen, as also are nearly all the cotton mills. The hardware business, including that of agricultural implements, the foundries and the machine shops are nearly all in the hands of Germans, with a sprinkling of Americans and Spaniards. The Spaniards run most of the small stores, and you generally find Spaniards as managers of the big ranches, so that the Mexican cuts a very small figure in the industry of his own country. They own, of course, most of the land, fill all the government offices, and for the rest are the clerks and labourers of the country; and this is what makes them dislike the foreigner who comes into their country to take all the good things which they consider as their own, though they will not make use of them themselves, and will not invest their money in new undertakings; but when a business is sure, then they want it all for themselves, and howl that the foreigner is stealing their country. All real-estate and mining booms are handled by Americans, who are, I suppose, the greatest boomers on earth. But when the bottom drops out of the boom, as often happens, you rarely see the wily American holding the sack, for he generally manages to unload on the natives whom he has succeeded in getting all stirred up. The latter hold on too long and get caught—like the southerner whose slave before the war had tried to buy his freedom with some money he had saved up, but as he was a good man his master was loth to part with him. Then the war broke out, and as it approached its end the master changed his mind. He sent for the slave and said, “Sam, you remember you asked to buy your freedom some time ago. I have been thinking the matter over, and I have come to the conclusion that I did not act right by you. You have been such a good and faithful servant that I have decided to accede to your request.” The nigger scratched his head, rubbed one leg with the other, and finally said, "Massa, I did want to buy myself, but Ah been studying erbout it lately too, an Ah come to de clusion dat niggah prop’ty am not good investment just at present." The way real estate has jumped in this city during the last eight years is simply astounding. Land that could be bought once for 17 cents a square metre sold within four years for $8 per metre, though I must say that the promoters had spent $1 per metre on improvements before they sold. Since the revolution prices have fallen badly, but will pick up again as soon as confidence is restored.